


Two sides of the coin

by ReevaKnight



Category: Original Work
Genre: Demon, Demon possession, F/F, Lesbian, Lesbian Sex, Succubus, some horror elements
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-12-08
Updated: 2019-12-22
Packaged: 2021-02-25 23:53:59
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 13,836
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21724072
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ReevaKnight/pseuds/ReevaKnight
Summary: Kat hated meeting up with the rest of the family, she was always the black sheep of the family. Never quite fitting in, always wishing to be alone. Storming off after an argument and becoming lost. She stumbles onto a ritual away supposedly from prying eyes, on where she acquires a more permanent 'guest' in her life.Kat will have to deal with never being alone with her thoughts ever again, now she must try and deal with someone else in her own body. Unable to ascertain their goals, what they want, and how to get them out...
Relationships: Original Female Character/Original Female Character
Comments: 3
Kudos: 29





	1. Family Meet up

A bump in the road bounced the sole occupant of the vehicle. The dirt track was off from the main road and the sun was disappearing beyond the horizon, it was getting harder to see as shadows lengthened with the setting sun. The sky was lit up in great swathes of orange as the sun melted across the sky, the last vestiges of the day as the night bled into the sky, darkening overhead. 

"Shit, where is this place?" An irritated female voice swore into the small car, a crinkled map was laid out on the leather passenger seat next to the driver. Splayed across the seat as the driver glanced down at it every now and then. Another bump bounced the driver in the seat. 

The driver huffed out as she began to grow worried on top of her weariness. A small device was perched on the dashboard of the car, a sat-nav, but right now its screen was dark and it was turned off. The driver had switched it off when it lost where she was on the dirt track. The driver prayed that the little car would be ok on this rough road, while thinking back to the event that took place just the other day.

_"It'll be fiiiiiiiine." A man's voice spoke out, far too relaxed. The sound was subdued with a mechanical strain to it, the voice was coming out of a phone._

_"Are you sure about this?" The owner of said phone asked again. The voice was softer and lighter, a female voice with an edge of uncertainty questioned the male on the other end of the phone._

_"Don't worry Kat, I've worked it all out. It'll be ok." The male voice tried to reassure the female on the other end of the phone, his voice was friendly and relaxed, after all he had known the female for her entire life._

_"Urgh Dad... I know, I know... but..." The female started, she didn't know what to say. Her dad was on the other end of the buzz of the speaker, trying to assure her that he knew what he was doing. Only thing was... Kat knew what her dad was like. He was one to always think everything was fine, that everything would work out... even when it wouldn't or didn't. But Kat sighed out, unable to finish her worries. There was probably nothing she could say to change his mind. Kat's father had been in charge of arranging the family get together this year, he had the bright idea of staying at a caravan break for the weekend. Not Kat's most favourite idea. But she would grin and bear it like she always did. She wasn't one for these family get-togethers, in fact she preferred being alone, the hustle and bustle of the big and loud family of hers all together was the complete opposite of the relaxing weekend she craved._

Just imagining the screaming of children and the questioning of her elders made Kat want to turn the car back around, however that was nothing compared to the haughty look of her sister as she asked her what Kat had been doing with her life, even as she told Kat all the great accomplishments she was making. Kat rolled her eyes just thinking about it. Yet her parents never played favourites and encouraged them both just the same. She just hoped it would be over with quick and she could get back to her normal life...

Once again Kat glanced over at the map, her father had given her directions to his temporary caravan park. Apparently the place they should have been using was overbooked, but her Dad's 'friend' had told him of this great place that a friend of a friend owned... Kat could only huff out her irritation. So basically it was either a friend of a friend's place... or more likely...they were there illegally. Great. Either option didn't sit right with her. 

Soon enough the edge of the woods came into view, the great expanse of trees engulfing the horizon as far as the eye could see. Somewhere up ahead should be her entire family. Probably already there and waiting for her, these instructions she received from her father was... not the most accurate. Maybe she should have called her mother to make sure...

Too late now, another bump rocked her poor car as she travelled along the dirt track. Hopefully her car would be in one piece by the time she reached the temporary camp site.

Before her now the road was starting to open up, the dirt evening out. She still inwardly cringed as she thought about the state her car must be in, hopefully mud and earth was her only worries. The dusk light was still bright enough for her to see far ahead, the shadows still beaten back by the light. Kat peered ahead, she should be able to see the caravans soon... she hoped. Unless she was in the totally wrong place... which... relying on her dad like this, she very well could be. 

However sure enough she spotted a speck of white amongst all the dark colours of the environment. More dots of white grew around it and as Kat revved the engine to pick up some speed the white blots began to grow in size. She gripped onto the steering wheel as she came closer, nearly there now and she could relax, able to assess the damage at a later stage. Soon enough smaller dots were beginning to form, those shapes coalesced into figures, some standing, some sitting, others moving about. Curls of black smoke wafted up from the sight, behind one of the camped caravans, probably a barbeque. Almost as if the sight awoke her sense of smell, Kat could now smell the amazing deep rich flavour of barbequed food. It was enough to make her mouth water and her stomach tighten, she hadn't eaten all afternoon. Not when she had to make this stupid drive north. She told them how long it would take her, but she just knew her dad would think she was just late. 

Soon enough she was close to the site now, the caravans were in full view, some were the full models where you could drive from the front, others were attached to the back of other vehicles. Among the giant white monstrosities that stuck out in the natural environment were the people, small groups dotted about chatting, kids running around the site screaming and yelling out to each other, a few others were sat about. Kat knew each and every one of them to some varying degree... unfortunately. This was after all her family. Her relatives were all dotted around the makeshift campsite, this was the yearly get together and every now and then someone came up with the bright idea to do something other than a house party or a drink at the pub. Usually her dad was one such criminal. Kat hated these events, she hated being with so many people who judged her and questioned her. She wanted to just be left alone... but if she didn't go her parents would ask why... they missed her. 

Kat pulled up in a space alongside the other cars that dotted the side of the encampment. Soon as she switched off the engine she groaned out to herself. Her car died down as the machine was shut off, the noise she had grown accustomed to for hours now left her, the silence now odd in her ears. She felt tired from the long drive, Kat wanted nothing more than to sit down, grab a beer and pretend to not exist. She just knew that wasn't going to happen though. She slammed her forehead on her steering wheel as she sighed out to herself. It can't be as bad as last year... she told herself, trying to give herself a little pep-talk. Last year she had to grit her way through her parents, her sister and other various relatives talking to her about incessant subjects she couldn't care less about... the gossiping of who was doing what. Her grandma was the worst one of them all, she knew what everyone was doing at all times... she was like the matriarch of this entire clan. Still though... Kat reminded herself, she would much rather sit for hours by her grandma then have to manage through a single minute with her sister. She prayed she wasn't there... her sister was a nightmare to be around. The complete opposite of her in nearly every way. With a home and a family and little children with another on the way. Whereas Kat was renting and alone. Not that she thought there was anything wrong with that... but her sister certainly thought so.

With one last sigh of defeat Kat looked up to see herself in the mirror. She pushed back a few strands of her light brown hair, right now she bore it in a ponytail, it was just better out of the way. Her hair was a mousy brown that reached down her back, in the right light she could be mistaken for blonde. Her dark brown eyes stood out in comparison to her hair colour, they were so dark her eyes could be seen as black, apparently she appeared disconcerting to some. Again not that she cared what others thought of her, Kat liked to look different and did whatever she fancied. Much to her sister's chagrin, her parents didn't seem to mind at all, she bore tattoos down along her right arm and even a few across her body. She loved fantasy themed tattoos, her skin was painted with dragons and knights, along with other such mythical monsters. She loved every single one and never grew tired of looking at them, like now for example, she stared down at her arm, it had cost a lot of money, but money well spent in her opinion. The angry snarling muzzle of a wolf along her forearm stared up at her, the tribal art mixed in dancing around the creature, leading up to a majestic wyvern flowing through the sky of her upper arm, before vanishing under the cloth of her shirt. Distracted by her tattoos her eyes snapped up to the mirror, the whites of her eyes were bloodshot and tired, but no rest for the weary. She examined her face in the clear glass, Kat wasn't one for makeup, not like her sister who coated her face with the stuff... but Kat did check to make sure her piercings were ok. 

The metal matched with her tattoos yet Kat didn't think she looked too rough, a couple of rings and a bar adorned her right ear, as well as a small piercing on her belly button. Not too much. Kat thought she looked good and not over bearing or intimidating. Just right. However her sister always disagreed with her. A common comment was always of what gang she was associating with nowadays... because obviously if you have tattoos and piercings you must be in a gang. Of course her sister disagreed with her, Kat's whole life was an offence to her. 

Please don't be there... please don't be there... Kat inwardly pleaded to whoever cared to listen.

With her checks done with Kat proceeded to move, picking up her overnight bag from the foot space of the other seat before pushing open her car door, her feet swung out to stand on the grassy dry ground with the rest of her body quickly leaving the hot stuffy air of her car, into the hot humid air of the outside world. With a thud she slammed the door shut and clicked her car locked, the lights blaring into life for a second before dying down once more. She hid her keys in her jeans pocket before swinging her rucksack onto her back, she quickly patted down her clothes to make sure there weren't any weird ruffles from being on the road so long. Kat wore her hiking boots with her dark jeans and dark top, her t-shirt bore the signature image of a band she once went to see, that was a long time ago, but she still liked the shirt. The weather was still too warm even at this time, it was the height of summer and even at night the temperature didn't drop too low. Which is much better than every other British season. Even so Kat still had a grey hooded jacket with her, it was tied loose around her waist right now though, showing off her preferred t-shirt. Her bag had some weight to it, yet it was just filled with extra clothes and toiletries, as well as the rest of her hiking gear in case the group wanted to go anywhere. 

With a quick check to make sure her car was secure she left her last vestige of safety and plastered a smile on her face, she turned toward the group now, a few figures had spotted her car and were now waving to her, Kat waved back... less excited then they apparently were.

Kat passed a trio of wavers with a few words of greeting as she drew further towards the centre, the grass and twigs crunched underfoot as the smell of the barbeque contaminated the area, assaulting her nose. White cheap plastic chairs dotted the area, along with temporary plastic tables nearby, the whole place screamed tacky... but it was familiar to her. After all that furniture was probably older then she was, her first memories were of gatherings like this with the whole family. A couple of children ran past her, playing some unknown game. Kat smiled as she passed them, once upon a time that was her and her sister. Back before they grew up. She missed those times, she missed her sister before she became what she was now. Kat grimaced at the thought. 

Soon enough Kat entered the heart of the camp, sure enough there they were, her parents at the centre of the attention. As if they heard her approach over the ambient chatter, her father looked up from the barbeque. He was a greying man in his late fifties, yet his smile belied his age. Especially with his taste in cooking aprons... this latest one was a cotton apron decorated with a cartoon body of a muscled man. Hmm... she wasn't sure what to think of that. Kat's eyes darted around him, her mother was sat on a nearby plastic chair, holding a magazine loosely in her grasp, some gossip magazine, Kat didn't look too closely. Her mother was likewise an older woman about the same age as her father, yet she had dark dyed hair trying to withstand the march of time. As she drew close the pair of them spotted her and waved frantically. Kat inwardly cringed at such a public display as great smiles appeared on their faces. 

Still... her sister was not in sight yet... hopefully it would stay that way. She really wasn't in the mood for her today after that drive.

"Kat! Good to see you finally make it!" Her father yelled out at her from the other side of the smoky barbeque. His great smile never dropped from his features. 

"Yeah I'm here dad... I said it would take me awhile..." Kat started to speak, hoping they would understand that she did say it would take awhile to make the journey. However she couldn't say anymore as a body ran into her and hugged her close. It was her mother, the great burst of energy locked onto her own figure. The older woman clutched tightly onto her as if testing whether she was actually there. 

"Oof..." Kat whimpered out as she felt the strength in those arms. "... hey mum..." She gave her mother a greeting too. Quickly the woman let go of her daughter and backed off. 

"So good to see you! You never visit anymore!" Her mother accused her, Kat tried not to roll her eyes at her. "Sorry... I've just been... busy." That was a half truth at best, she was kind of busy... yet really she was just absorbed into her own life and not so much the family anymore. It wasn't anything against them, she just preferred her own space. However her mother wasn't looking at her anymore, she watched her eyes scan around her as if looking for something...

"Whaaaaaat..." Kat spoke slowly and in suspicion. Her mother's eyes snapped back up to Kat's.

"No boyfriend again this year?" Kat nearly choked on air. 

"For fuck sake mum... nooooo." Kat cursed out in response. However she realised her error too late, her mother's eyes narrowed as she rolled up her magazine in her hands. "Oops..." A swift, but light, smack on the top of her head with the paper in retaliation to her swear. 

"What have I told you about swearing Katherine?!" Her mother scolded her. Kat's parents always made her feel twenty years younger... but not in a good way. She felt like a little kid again in front of them, watching her language. The hit didn't really hurt but Kat winced all the same. Especially when her mother used her full name, they only used her full name if she was in trouble. Kat was just about to hit her thirties, but that didn't matter to them. To them Kat was always going to be their little girl.

"You never learn do you Kat?" That voice made Kat flinch. It was the one voice she didn't feel like listening to today. Here we go... Kat mentally prepared herself as she turned around toward the intruder.

"Hey Laura..." Kat tried her best to sound as if she didn't want to flee from her. She felt uncomfortable in the presence of her sister, her opposite. Her sister sidled up to her, an obvious bump from her latest pregnancy. Her clothes were loose but she still looked... perfect. Not yet in maternity clothes, she wore a loose dress that ended at the knees, flat black pumps on her feet, her heels would be slightly out of place on this ground. Her face was coated with makeup as usual, but Kat noticed that once again it made her look good and not like a tart... damn it... her long light brown hair was pulled up in a tight bun on her head and her dark eyes glared at her. They were once upon a time identical twins... however right now the pair of them couldn't look more different. With one hand on her hip and one hand fiddling with the locket around her neck, she gave Kat a stare up and down her body. Kat wished she wouldn't do that. She held herself as if Kat was someone to look down on. Where had her best friend gone? Where had the sisters who did everything together and who made up their own language and pretended to be each other go? 

"Hello Kat..." Venom dripped off her tongue, Kat had to grit her teeth as her sister stood before her. She didn't miss Laura's eyes scan Kat's tattooed arm, nor Laura's own arm unconsciously trace her own. "Anyway..." She turned to their mother who was now sat back down on the plastic chair close by. "...have you seen John?" She questioned, ignoring the sister she only saw once a year. Kat didn't say anything, she didn't have the energy, merely folding her arms as she was now kicked out of the conversation. 

"I don't know dear..." Their mother said without looking up from the magazine. 

"I'm here..." A tired male voice spoke just off to the side of them. The group looked round and saw the new male, he was about the same age as the pair with fair but tired features. He was currently holding the hand of a toddler at his side. Kat tried to remember how many children they had right now... two? Three? She couldn't remember... she didn't really talk to her sister and by extension had little to no contact with the children. Never mind. John's eyes lit up when he recognised Kat. 

"Hey Kat, nice to see you." His words were of genuine warmth, good to hear that he was still a nice guy. Even if he had married the bitch out of the two of them. In fact Kat still remembers when back in High school John had accidentally confessed to her instead of her sister. Kat wasn't sure if her sister had ever let him live that down... but that had been the catalyst for their changes, soon after Kat had gotten her first ever piercing, the bar in her ear... and Laura began to wear makeup. Not so much of a change at the time... but that had progressed from then until now. And now... they looked nothing like each other.

He waved at her, Kat returned it. He did seem rather tired... Kat felt slight pity for the poor guy. 

"John! There you are! Where have you been?! You are supposed to be looking after me!" Laura screeched at the downtrodden male. 

"Sorry... this one..." John started as he motioned toward the toddler that gripped his hand tightly. But he never got to finish as Laura cut him off.

"I don't care John! I am pregnant with our third child! Get over here!" Kat really didn't know who Laura was anymore, apparently they were so similar when they were children they couldn't be told apart. What on earth happened? She could only wince at the debacle that was happening. With John now moving across the grass with the small child just managing to keep up, Laura now satisfied turned to Kat. 

"So Kat, no man felt low enough to ask you out yet?" That comment dripped with poison, a question was buried underneath that spite. Kat didn't rise up to her, their conversations were always like this nowadays... and she wanted no part in it. 

"Why no... thank you for asking Laura." Kat bore her sickly sweet voice as she bit back a dark comment. "I have no interest in men right now thanks." That only made Laura smirk at her. 

"What are you? A lesbian? If you are then just say it." Kat rolled her eyes at the comment. Having to swallow a bite back. 

"What has that got to do with anything?.. Besides do you think I'd tell you if I was?" Kat found her heart beating faster at this, struggling to keep her temper in check, Laura always knew just how to push her buttons... possibly a bad side effect from being twins. Unluckily for Kat. 

But Laura just glared at her, a mix of disgust and rage boiled just underneath. However suddenly the look was washed off her face as if it was never there. Laura was a keen actress who could play any role she wanted clearly. 

"Kat dear... won't you get me a drink?" Her voice was now the one that was sickly sweet. Kat didn't move, she only began to tap her finger on her upper arm as she began to feel her anger rising at her twin. 

"I am not your husband Laura. Get one yourself." Kat managed out without swearing or shouting. It seemed like such an innocent request, but to Kat she just knew it was an insult. Laura was trying to get her to do whatever she wanted... she had always been the bossy one growing up, now she was just a bitch. 

Now Laura was the one who folded her arms, the pair of them glared daggers at each other. Their parents stayed out of it, they never bothered with this sibling rivalry anymore. They had attempted time and time again in the past but now it was too far gone. 

"I'll get you that drink love..." John piped up next to her, attempting to calm the situation down. Laura snapped her head towards him. 

"Oh John you are so sweet!" A fake smile adorned her lips. Kat felt she was going to sick. How could John put up with her? She was a nightmare! She can't be like this all of the time... can she? Laura decided not to stay with Kat now and followed her husband off into elsewhere in the camp. Once she was out of earshot Kat could relax a little bit. She didn't even realise how tense she had become, how high her hackles had raised and how she had to flex her taut fingers out of their death grip. 

She sighed and turned back to her parents.

"I don't know why you two can't get along..." Her father started as he focused on poking some sausages on the grill. 

"It's not me!" Kat found herself yelling out to her parents who she had not seen in a year. "It's her!" Kat defended herself, she didn't do anything wrong. Laura was the psychopath. 

But her parents didn't say anything back to that. Kat could only huff out in anger as she stomped away from the campsite, off towards the woods. She needed to be alone, she shouldn't have come, she couldn't be bothered dealing with her sister or her parents right now. She ignored various relatives wanting to greet her and just waved them off... claiming she was going to the toilet. Soon enough she was walking away from the cheap chairs, the smoky barbeque and white caravans which interrupted the greenery and into the forest ahead of her. 

***

"Is everything ready?" A scratchy voice whispered out to the group before him. His voice barely heard above the crackle of the fire in the centre of their camp. 

"I think so... I believe I've translated it right. Just don't blame me if this goes wrong." Another one in the group spoke, his voice was younger with an almost bored tone to it, but more sharper and calculated then his counterpart. A small group of men huddled around the fire, one of them poked the small spitting fire with a stick, the fire popped angrily at being prodded before dying back down. 

"I don't like wearing these things..." Another one spoke to the group, he sounded even younger than the others. Maybe in his teens, his voice was still light. 

"Shut up..." The first gravelly one whispered harshly to the boy. "I want everything to be re-enacted perfectly, even if these robes aren't needed you never know." The small group of four did indeed wear robes covering their form. The dark black material covered and hid their forms until not even their eyes were showing. The youngest shut his mouth at the rebuke and didn't speak again. 

"If you really want this to work we need a girl here though. We need to slit her throat at the apex." He spoke as if it was just a matter of fact, as if he was talking about the weather. His bland voice sounded almost bored now. 

"We're not doing that unless I know this will work. Parlour tricks are one thing, this is different." The first gravelly, hoarse voice seethed at the other. "We aren't killing a whore and being chased by the cops for nothin'." The second cloaked male appeared to look down at a dark grimoire that sat in his lap. 

"Well I think the girl needs to be a virgin actually..." He corrected the first male. Again without a hint of emotion in his voice. 

"I didn't mean it like that you fucking moron." The gravelly male countered. "Just get it fucking started." The group ignored the cage that was nearby, the metal rattled as an animal moved about inside it. Pacing back and forth before lying down on the cold floor of the cage. Claws scraped the hard steel. The animal was a dog, a collar around its neck, the canine was trembling as its ears were flat against its head. Its eyes scanned the robed men before it, not trusting them yet not daring to make a sound. 

***

How far had she walked now? Kat didn't know how long it had been... after she had stomped off wishing to be alone she had simply carried on walking. Not her smartest idea. She decided she had best stop and go back... she shouldn't let her sister ruin her visit after all. Kat found herself calmer with the walk she had taken. Now to just get back... Kat turned around, searching the trees for the way she had came. But it looked just the same as the trees ahead of her... and all around her. She can't be lost... she can't honestly have been that stupid... could she? Apparently so. 

She had thought that she would be able to just find her way back by simply turning around... but it was now dark, the pitch blackness swallowed up the area around her. The trees overhead made it difficult to see, the choking darkness permeated all around her. The trees and branches surrounding her twisted into grim shapes that reached out to grab a hold of her. Yep time to go back... she would much rather deal with Laura with that smirk of hers then get lost in the forest.

Kat pivoted on her heel, assuming that heading in the complete opposite direction that she had been going would take her out of the forest. She crunched over the twig and leaf ridden floor as she travelled, the warmth of the summer starting to evaporate around her, this was definitely not her smartest move. She felt her heart spike as she grew nervous... calm down... calm down... surely it would be just a bit further now. Onward Kat trudged. Past trunks and foliage as she tried to ignore her shaking hands and quickening heart. The last thing she needed now was to panic. She was sure that it would be just a little bit ahead now... she can't have gone that far?

Time passed as Kat carried on walking...

It was late now... Kat looked up through a gap in the branches... the moon was high overhead and she was getting tired. Tired of walking and tired of being awake. This was bad. What a stupid thing to do! Kat could only berate herself now, the alternative was really to start panicking. She still frantically searched up ahead for a light, a break in the trees, anything to signify the end of the forest and the camp of her family. 

The darkness started to envelop her, Kat began to shiver... she held her hands up to hold her arms. Her icy grip did nothing to help ease her state of mind, even when she rubbed up and down her upper arms in her vain attempt at warmth, she wished she had more clothes then what she was wearing... she had her hiking gear still in the bag she was wearing. But no sleeping bag or camping kit... damn it. C'mon... c'mon... it's ok. It'll be ok. God she was so stupid. She shouldn't have walked this far out... she could die out here and it would have been because she stomped off into this stupid forest! Suddenly a burst of anger at herself erupted within her chest, she kicked at the first thing that her foot came into contact with. A medium size stick. The dry dead twig was launched into the air and it sailed through the foliage, knocking against the bark and other branches on its journey. Before falling to the ground with a soft thunk. Kat sighed out into the night. 

Great. 

She was an idiot... she was just a child after all... ha. Kat felt a small smile peak at the side of her lips... she would give anything to be helped right now... she would admit she was an idiot and stupid even to her own sister right now. Anything to be away from this. She still felt so angry at herself... she had just wanted to be out of the way, wanted to be further enough in to be alone. Then head back... but the darkness had encroached on her faster then she had thought. She didn't have a torch, or anything. Her phone had no service out here. That was one of the first things she had tried. 

Suddenly a howl screamed out into the night, that high pitched yowl made Kat jump as the noise pierced right through her. What was that?! Kat shot up off the floor, not bothering with wiping the dirt off her backside... she felt on edge, her skin prickled at the sound. Her mind alert as she scanned the area for the source of the sound. There was nothing that could possibly make that sound in this country... this was Britain. There had been no wolves for centuries... so... what was that? But she instinctively knew that sound was one of fright and panic... an almost animal instinct that made her hairs stand on end told her so. A new fear ran through her now... what else was out here? Kat thought she was alone. However that animalistic scream told her she was not. 

Kat wasn't sure what to do now... should she move? Should she stay? What did she do now? What should she do now? 

As Kat peered around her she caught a faint flicker of light in-between the trees. The light danced and swayed, that can't be an artificial light. Kat guessed it was the light of a fire... five minutes ago Kat would be running toward that light for help, hoping that it might even be her family. Now though... she bit her lip nervously. That scream still racked her from before... images came to her mind unbidden... of who could be in these woods... Kat tried to keep herself calm as she walked slowly and as quietly as she could toward the source of the light. 

The brightness grew in size as the light emitted and pierced the dark gloom of the woods, the darkness losing its grip of the night as Kat drew near the flame. Yet the light brought no warmth as nerves and worry flooded her. Something didn't feel right. Maybe it was just finding strangers in the forest... but it mostly had something to do with that horrible screech that still filled her ears. Kat raised her hand and splayed her fingers out, balancing behind a tree, the rough bark scratching her fingers as she peeked out from behind the trunk. There before her was a small camp, a small circle of four people were stood around a fire. The flame crackled and spat, throwing heat and light into the air around the encampment. The four people were dressed in dark robes from head to toe... Kat contorted her face into a confused look. What was this... halloween? This was strange, yet she didn't feel like laughing or questioning this... as a shiver of nervousness and confusion crackled through her spine. Kat didn't feel like going over there and asking for help. 

Her eyes roved over the group ahead of her, she felt much too close for comfort but for now at least she was safe from their vision. She was reminded of some sort of cult, maybe she had watched too many scary movies. Maybe this was just a bit of fun... maybe they were actors... maybe... Kat quickly ran out of innocent ideas as she saw something that made her blood run cold. One of them was holding onto the body of a dog, she didn't notice it at first because the dog's fur was dark like their robes... but she saw it now. The animal thrashed in his grip, as the frightened canine desperately tried to pull away. The figure gripping the dog held it by its muzzle, the fingers clamping down on the fur tightly, not letting the creature go anywhere. It thrashed again as she heard horrible high pitched whines from the throat of the dog. It was scared. 

That was when she noticed the blood.

The dog's neck was covered in blood, the dark liquid flooded over its front even as the dog twisted and writhed about. Its panic evident in its form and cries. Even as the person struggled to keep the thing quiet. 

"Will you hurry up with that!" One of the figures shouted out suddenly. Kat flinched and hid back behind the bark. The shout wasn't targeting her however so she risked peeking back out once more. The voice was male and sharp... commanding and laced with irritation as he shouted toward the figure holding the screaming animal. The figure looked up at him even as he struggled with the dog. That was when Kat noticed the glint of the knife. The light reflected off the shiny surface, the keen glint of the dagger was obvious even at this distance. Kat once again felt fear bubble up at her gut. This was not a good place to be. Her day was just getting worse and worse... Something told her to just quietly escape... to turn around and try to find her way out of the forest alone. To get away from this group... who knew what was going on... but she doubted slaughtering a poor dog in the middle of the night could ever be seen as a good thing. 

"Shut up! This is hard enough as it is with this fucking thing wriggling about! I'm getting blood all over me." The figure shouted back. The voice was also male, a slur on his words, his voice uncaring for the poor creature he held under him. Kat felt bile rise to her mouth... don't be sick... not now. Don't attract attention. 

Kat could only watch as the figure lowered the knife once more... she watched as the knife dug into the flesh of the creature, once more at the neck as it sliced across. She could only watch as its eyes widened in pure shock and fright... before a tide of blood erupted from the wound and fell to the floor. The body went limp in his hands as the spark of life died in its eyes.

Kat let go of the bark as her hands shot to her mouth, before any sound came out even as tears threatened in her eyes. Her heart bled for the poor animal, what a horrible way to die... there wasn't a reason... no reason at all. She wanted to run away... to get away from those monsters... yet her feet wouldn't move. 

The robed male dropped the body with a soft sick thud. The blood pooling and drooling from the body and around it. The ground soaking up the lifeblood and dying the soil crimson. Kat struggled to take her eyes off the body now, its tongue lolled out of its mouth and its neck was twisted in an unnatural angle. It was now that she saw the pink collar decorating the unblemished fur above the wound... that dog had been a pet. Someone had cared about that animal... and now it was gone.

The air became tense and... denser... something was very wrong here. Kat started to feel dizzy... though she still felt sick because of the death. That was probably why... yet something in her gut told her that wasn't the case. Her teary eyes strained to look at the rest of the group. Uncaring that they had just murdered a helpless animal, she finally noticed that one of them was looking down at a heavy book. She couldn't see it that well... only that it looked thick and heavy. Now all attention was turned to the holder of said book. His voice now reverberated around the camp... but it was not in any language Kat could understand... 

Normally this would almost be comical... like in a film or a play... this was fake right? Kat almost felt a giggle rise up from this preposterous situation she found herself in. She was so confused... and scared. But this was real... they must all be mad. They can't be sane... can they? Did they like to torture animals and think they were all powerful or some stupid reason like that! These people should be locked up... Kat didn't know what to do now... all she knew for certain was that she hoped they didn't find her. Her legs were shaking and grew weak, she slowly lowered herself onto the floor, taut muscles pulled to their limit as she strained... afraid her weak legs would give out yet frightened of making a single noise. She managed to make it into a crouch just as the male finished his horrible gutteral speech. The words finally died down... good... they sounded like sharp nails along a chalk board, the words sounded more like the noises of beasts then words. It wasn't right... it wasn't anything she had ever seen nor heard before. She just wanted to be back with her family... this was such a bad idea. 

A silence blanketed the area... all five of them didn't make a sound... 

The silence stretched on for minutes as the figures began to look at each other... beginning to rustle their clothes as they fidgeted. 

"Nothing's happening..." One of the men spoke out... his voice was deeper and hoarser then the others. "Fuck... that spell's a load of shit." He cursed out. What was that? A spell? What kind of freaks are they? There's no such thing as magic. 

"I told you not to use a dog." Someone else snapped at him... this voice was sharper and even... cold. No trace of emotion within the voice. 

"And I told you I ain't using a girl unless we know it works..." The other gruff one argued back. Wait... what was that? A girl?! These monsters wanted to use a... girl? Kat couldn't help but gasp. The sharp intake of breath that made her curse and hold her hands to her mouth tighter... her heart stopped as she prayed that she wasn't heard. Her legs were shaking even while crouched down. Glad that she wasn't standing. 

"What was that...?" Her worse fear was realised... Her eyes widened as she knew they heard her. Oh god... panic erupted in her form as a tear trailed down her cheek. She was scared... Kat didn't know what to do. Please don't find her. All of a sudden without warning a breeze kicked up, wafting through the trees, harshly battering the braches. The wind causing a loud rustling and low shaking as the branches collided with each other, shaking the leaves and brushing them to the side. The fire was pushed and threatened to be overwhelmed as the wind picked up, its crackle struggling against the force of nature as the wind only grew in strength. 

"What did you do idiot?!" One of the robed men yelled out, yet his voice was drowned out by the harsh wind blowing through the area, Kat's hair was billowed out to the side as the cold gale began to bite into her. All of them struggled to hold their ground as their clothes rippled out away from them, the wind finding its way under clothes to brush against skin. The fire spluttered once more, its final flickers attempting to hold onto life before it was smothered. Plunging the area into darkness. 

Curses and swears echoed into the night from the men, even as the wind howled around them, drowning out their voices. Kat struggled to hold onto her perch, the wind threatening to knock her off her feet... what was going on?! 

She needed to get away... needed to run... maybe this was her chance... maybe she could get away!

Kat tried to stand to move now, risking making noise hoping that the wind would cover her. Yet her legs gave out just as she raised herself... her energy had fled from her. No! Get up! Kat gritted her teeth as she tried again. Yet she didn't get far as she fell to her knees. Her body felt weak... something was wrong. Very, very wrong. Fresh waves of panic surged through her, her body felt so weak. As if her legs weren't responding! Even her arms which was the only thing holding her up struggled to keep her off the dirty ground. Soil stuck to her fingers and palms as she tried in vain to rise, gritting her teeth as she willed her body to listen to her!

But she couldn't move! More tears fell down her face as she trembled, shock and panic overwhelming her. Her heart beating madly in her ears as she felt her body growing weaker. As if her energy was being drained from her. A sudden pain rocked her form... a sharp spike of pure pain shot through her. It made her feel sick... made her eyes swim... made her head sting. The pain settled on her chest and exploded... she couldn't breathe... every breath felt like a knife was forced in-between her ribs. Tears dripped to the floor... Kat shook and shivered as she still tried to force herself up. She wasn't breathing now... it hurt too much... but maybe if she could just get away. She wasn't thinking clearly. Her mind raced as panic smothered her consciousness. 

The pain began to pull at her... Kat made herself breathe... her mind screamed at her to. Her chest burned... but the pain was too much... she thought she was going to pass out... is this a heart attack?! Is she having a heart attack?! Is she doing to die out here?! 

The pain flared in her chest... it began to tug at her heart now... it felt as if her heart was being pulled through her chest... her ribs were in the way... she hacked and coughed as more pain seared her. A hand flew up and gripped her chest... as if trying to stop whatever was happening. The pain was too much... her eyes fluttered as her vision swam now... it was all too much... everything else was blocked out around her as she struggled. 

Suddenly her entire body gave out... and Kat's eyes closed. Her form fell to the floor with a heavy thud, her limp body sprawled out on the floor. 


	2. Awoken

_Fingers dug into the cold floor of the ground, the soil giving way under the force, dirt getting embedded under nails. A body dragging itself onward across the grass and dirt..._

_Pants and choked gasps of air from a chest that burned like fire, every breath was like a knife twisting between ribs..._

_Strangled gargles and whimpers as something tries to speak, something attempts to make a sound, but only manages to drool, the warm liquid leaking down flesh and onto the dry ground..._

_Shouts... flickering light from artificial torches... familiar voices..._

_Muddled and blurred forms running into view, voices shouting something, what is it?..._

Mental images flooded her mind, visions, sounds, scents, everything was so overwhelming... it was all too real. Was it real? But as soon as she thought that she noticed something. Instead of the cold dirty ground between her fingers, she felt smooth warm sheets... instead of cold air nipping at her skin she felt warmth, instead of pain flooding her chest making it hard to breathe she felt merely sore, like she had been winded. But she could breathe fine... she felt her chest rise and fall as she slowly filled her lungs. Sore... but working. What was happening?

"Kat...?" A voice? Who was that? Kat tried to respond but could only manage a weak whimper, her throat still burned and her eyes felt so heavy. "...please Kat... wake up..." She recognised that voice. Who was it? The voice was female and sounded strained and full of worry, on the brink of tears... or maybe just after. She was unsure. 

"Wa..." Was all Kat managed to say while opening her heavy eyes. She needed water, she felt so weak and tired... she was lying down and at first when she opened her eyes she saw only a blurred ceiling. Bright harsh light flooded the room and stung her eyes... wait, room? Yes. She was in a room. Where was she? 

"Oh my god! Kat! Mum! Dad! She's waking up!" Kat could only wince at the volume of the voice, someone was screaming at the top of their lungs right next to her. Kat's eyes panned down now toward the shouter. She could only make out a blurred form, but as she stared, her eyes finally managed to begin to focus. But she didn't need to see to know who was shouting...

"Lau...ra...?" She croaked out to her sister now... Laura turned her head back to her sister prone on the bed. Kat's vision was clearing now, but she almost had to double take when she finally saw her sister in focus. Laura's make up was a mess... her hair out of place... tear stains marked her once perfect face. Yet there was a smile she hadn't seen for a long time. Her eyes were full of warmth even as tears threatened to fall once more. However as soon as that warmth was there it quickly filtered away, her eyes became sharp. 

“What did you think you were doing you idiot! You scared us all half to death!” She yelled out at her sister. However even Kat could notice the usual bite and venom that usually dripped from her voice was not present. It felt too forced. Laura rose from her seat next to the bed, her eyes couldn’t hold the sharp look… tears looked like they once more began to well. 

She hadn't seen her sister cry for over ten years, not since high school. This was serious. 

A thunder of footsteps alerted her to the oncoming of more people into this small room. 

Suddenly both her mother and father barreled into the room, their worry likewise plain on their faces. Kat could barely hear what they were saying, her sore eardrums failing to process the torrent of words that was quickly spoken over each other. But Kat managed a smile anyway. They looked fraught with worry for her... she didn't mind the un-intelligible garble of words. This only added to the guilt that had started to gnaw away at her. What had happened? She remembered being out in the woods... having made the stupid mistake of getting lost. The bitterness at her mistake came flooding back... She wanted to roll her eyes at herself, if she could. 

"Kat!" Her dad finally spoke clearly. "I've been trying to get hold of someone for hours now! I can't get any signal out here! I'm such an idiot!" That was rare... her dad berating himself. He was always so sure everything would work out, even when it may not do. Her mum looked at him now and stroked his arm as if to soothe him. 

"Shh... it's ok. She’s awake...it's going to be ok." Kat wasn't sure if her mother meant it or was just trying to calm her father down. But there was one thing she picked up on... hours? Just how long has it been? Kat moved her head over to look out of the window that was by her small bed, it was still so dark outside, the curtain was closed. What time was it? But Kat couldn’t get an answer to this as her sister suddenly turned away and shot past their parents. She didn't look at her anymore... Her head was angled away, as if Laura didn't want anyone to see her face. Kat actually found herself missing her twin sister... she hadn’t expected to feel that anytime soon. Normally she couldn’t wait to be away from the bitch.

Her sister moved further out of the room and away from the trio, heading out of the door of… the caravan. Kat finally recognised the inside of the caravan she shared with her parents. This was… her own bed she used when she stayed. 

“Laura… where are you going?” Their mother asked of her. But Laura only waved her hand, still without turning her head… 

“Someone has to actually look after my children... I’ll… see you later.” Once again the lackluster attempt at a bite only made Kat smile. However the prone brunette was suspicious that Laura was still crying… she probably didn’t want any of them seeing her like that. Kat could only feel more guilty for making them all so worried for her. She just wanted to say how sorry she was… but… sorry for what?

Once Laura had stepped out of the small room now all eyes were back on her, the pair of them bore tears welling up in their eyes. For all her hatred of these family meet ups she was once again reminded just why she came here. Why she put up with so much over the years, with all the arguments and comments… it was all because of this. All three of them with tears in their eyes… all three of them still loved her. Even if her sister seemed to try so very hard to hide it. 

“I’m sorry…” Kat managed out now. She still couldn’t understand quite what had happened… or why. But she could only feel guilty herself now. A sickening feeling of guilt began to well up inside her, as if a crack had opened up, with the thick liquid of remorse oozing out, this was her fault. Why had she been so stupid? She felt so stupid that she had stomped away like a child, gotten lost like a child… she must have been found by them. Only… when… how?

Her father was starting to cry now as he wiped away his tears on a sleeve. Her mother was still trying to console him, but Kat could only smile. She was ok, they were ok, everything was going to be ok now. Everything would just go back to normal… they could still have that get together and everything would be… fine.

_“Just when are you all going to stop blubbering… I’m feeling sick.”_

“I’m sorry?” Kat spoke up now. What was that?! She heard a voice pierce through her. A female voice, sharp and arrogant. Powerful, someone who demanded to be respected. But her parents didn’t even seem to hear… did she… did she just imagine it? Kat immediately zoned out of the conversation her parents were now having. Something about whether or not they should still get a paramedic to see her. She really didn’t care about that now. Did she just… hear a voice? Her heart rate shot up again now… she managed to sit up in bed even as her muscles screamed at her to stop moving. Did that just happen?

Kat couldn’t help but to stop and listen. Maybe it was a voice from outside? Someone talking to someone else from outside the caravan. Yeah… that sounded plausible. Only… she knew everyone here and... she didn’t recognise that voice. 

“Hello…?” Kat whispered to herself, under her breath. She most certainly had a screw loose now. She was talking to herself, or to a voice in her head… whichever one sounded worse she wasn’t sure. But after a few seconds with no response Kat could do nothing more then look up at her parents. Now no longer feeling at peace, but with a fake smile and a slight fear snaking up her spine. Had she fallen and hit her head… was she going mad?

She swore she heard a sharp intake of breath… was that her? No… she was breathing normally. Was that her parents? She flicked her eyes back up to them. No. Kat flexed her sore fingers now, noticing for the first time the caked on dirt and broken finger nails… what the?! Dried blood mixed with the dirt as her fingers were cut and bruised. That image from before… 

Once more she recalled her own body being dragged along the floor of the forest, this time she recalled the panic… but also utter bewilderment. A disorientation that didn’t feel like her own… was it? 

She shook her head… this was all so confusing! 

Right now she knew one thing… she didn’t want anyone else to see her. She didn’t want to be examined. Whatever she was dealing with. She would deal with it on her own… she didn’t want some doctor telling her she was losing her marbles. Maybe that was the fear and the worry talking… but right now, she just wanted to be left alone. 

“Please… can I have some water?” Kat felt so tired and thirsty and weak… she just wanted to shut her eyes and for all of this to just… go away. She felt overloaded. At her words both of her parents snapped their gazes to her. 

“Of course! I’ll get you a glass... “ At that her mother stepped away to a room close by. Kat could hear the clink of glass and the running of a tap. 

“Are you sure you’re alright Kat?” That was her father… he seemed so somber and almost… despondent. Kat couldn’t remember the last time she had seen him like that… between her mother and her father… even her sister… they were all so concerned for her. She had been so glad to see them and yet… at the flick of a switch she now just wanted them to all leave her alone. She wanted to lie down and to put all of this behind her… maybe she was just stressed out? Yeah… maybe that’s all this was. 

“Honestly dad… I’m fine.” She was actually starting to feel better with every waking moment, as the pain lessened and her muscles began to relax and ease off. Little by little. But then… why did she feel like she was lying? Just then her mother appeared once more, carrying a glass of water. The liquid sloshing inside as it was gingerly passed to her shaking dirty hands. Kat didn’t miss the suspicious glare her dad gave her as she sipped the water. Did he not believe her?

“Ok…” He sighed out. “Let me ask you one thing… do you remember what happened?” Kat didn’t look up at him. She could only stare at her water. Watching the liquid settle on the surface. 

“I remember being lost… I… I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have acted like a child. I didn’t mean to make you all worry about me.” Her parent’s features softened at her apology. 

“Don’t worry about that… it’s what came after I am wondering about…” Kat raised her gaze once more. 

“I-I don’t…” She couldn’t remember. What had happened? “...I remember crawling.” Her eyes dropped back down to her fingers. Yes… that must have happened. Her parents didn’t say anything at first. Expecting her to continue. 

“Anything else?” Her mother nudged her. But Kat could only shake her head. Her father proceeded to fold his arms now. 

“When you didn’t reappear out of the forest, we started to get worried. When it became really late and you still didn’t turn up… the whole family came out to look for you. We all did. We were all so worried.” That only made Kat cringe more. The whole family? She didn’t mean for any of that to happen. She was such a stupid idiot. 

“I’m sorry.” 

“You don’t need to keep apologising… it’s ok.” Kat clamped her mouth shut now. “Anyway, we managed to find you crawling toward us from the darkness of the woods… at first I didn’t even recognise you… you were gargling and you seemed to be in so much pain. I-I… didn’t know what to do… then you seemed to pass out.” Kat heard the break in her father’s voice. He caught it… but it was there. She didn’t remember any of that. “Are you sure you don’t need to be seen to? I can try again… I can drive you.” 

Kat once again felt that swell of guilt. She didn’t mean for any of that to happen. She gulped down another mouthful for her parched throat. That sounded like she should have been worse than she should be. Apart from feeling sore all over she was starting to feel better… even if her own mind was feeling worse. 

“I’m ok… I just need some rest. I don’t remember what happened but I… I must have collapsed. I don’t know why.” She still felt so tired… 

“Did you hit your head? Do you have a concussion?” The concerned voice of her mother broke in, leaning down to check her head. But Kat flinched away. 

“No I didn’t. I don’t have a concussion…” She was getting sick of this… she just wanted to be left alone and sleep. “I’m sorry but please… can I be left alone?” Kat’s grip on her glass tightened, she was hurting them again but… she didn’t want to be checked, didn’t want to be fussed over, didn’t want all of this attention! Kat’s head drooped, she didn’t… couldn’t look them in the eye. “I know I probably should get checked over… I understand but… please… I just want to lie down. I’m fine. Please don’t worry about me.” 

However this time it was her mother who was stern with her. 

“No Kat. Your father is driving you to the hospital. You don’t just collapse for no reason.” She turned to the male. “Get the car started. Kat, I’ll help you get ready.”

***

Kat fell back onto the bed she had woken up in that morning. The sheets had been changed, they smelled faintly of cleaning product. Better than that disinfectant smell that she had to put up with all day. She felt exhausted and a little violated. The drive to the local hospital took hours… her dad making small talk while she kept repeating she was fine… the wait at the hospital took hours… again the small talk was tedious and forced at best… then finally being seen to and being poked and prodded and questions asked. Waiting for the results for hours and being told they could find nothing wrong. Then driving all the way back! 

That took all day! All she wanted to do was sleep!

What a waste of time! She now felt beyond exhausted… she was looking forward to just falling asleep… she wasn’t even sure if she cared enough to get undressed… at least she was cleaner than she was this morning. Her hands had been washed and a few plasters put on to look after the wounds… all that for no results and a few plasters. Marvellous. She felt irritable and annoyed. At least she was finally alone. Finally alone with her thoughts. Well.. she was pretty sure she was alone. She felt like she was being watched all day. But she had just attributed that to her parents and the hospital, they were probably watching her like a hawk to see if she collapsed again. She once again felt like some child, she knew it was just out of concern for her welfare but she just felt… irritated. She knew she was just tired and feeling guilty and stupid… that’s all this was. Once she had some rest she would be back to her old self, she was sure of it. 

What time was it now anyway? It felt so late, even in this British summer time it can’t have been much of the daylight left. She leaned up onto her arms and pulled open the still closed curtain, yep, the last few rays of sunlight melted across the sky. Great swathes of orange and pinkish red tinted the sky, trying to hold onto the day for just a few more minutes. Before the night claimed the sky. Kat was uncaring right now however, she just blew a gust of air out of her lips to try and get a piece of loose hair out of her eyes. Before flopping down onto the bed. Today has been a very long… and weird… and dumb… day. She had no answers, she couldn’t remember anything after getting lost in the forest… like an idiot… she continually berated herself. 

She was supposed to be driving home tomorrow too, so much for this family gathering, she was pretty sure no one was going to let her live this one down. Oh no… Laura is going to hold this over her until the end of time. Although… she’ll never forget the worry and the upset on her sister’s face. She was still human after all. That made Kat smile. 

She felt absolutely exhausted… but sleep wouldn’t claim her as she was. She needed another drink and to get these clothes off... 

With a sigh she pushed herself off the bed and made her way to the kitchen. As she ran the tap and picked out a glass, she thought idly back to the voice she had heard today. Can stress do that to you? Is that possible? She hadn’t heard it again all day. Did she just imagine it? Kat shook her head. She certainly hoped that was it, although… she just couldn’t shake the feeling that someone was watching her. 

As Kat filled up the glass and turned off the tap she raised her head to watch the last shreds of light die out in the night sky. She sighed. Taking a swig of her water she turned to go back to bed…

Suddenly all strength left her legs… with a yelp Kat fell to her knees. Her heart rate shot sky high, it thundered in her chest as pure panic set in. What was this?! One arm balanced herself up the other held onto the glass. Oh god… why can’t she get up! She could feel them, but they wouldn’t move! It was getting hard to breathe… keep calm… keep calm. Yet no matter what she tried to tell herself she knew she was panicking. The same weakness traveled up her arm… she couldn’t hold onto the glass, she felt the container slip through her fingers and clatter to the floor. Water pooling across the hard flooring. Quickly followed by her other arm… until she too dropped to the floor with a limp thud. Smashing her head against the hard floor. She felt the pain, could feel herself breathing. Her eyes were wide open but… she couldn’t blink! She just stared out at the world… completely paralysed.

She tried to move… she couldn’t… oh god… what was happening?! There really was something wrong with her! But what?! The doctor said they didn’t find anything wrong?! But that was just it! They didn’t find anything didn’t mean something was wrong! She couldn’t stop her panic now from raging through her mind, sweeping away any and all rational thought as she only wanted to yell, to scream out for someone to find her. To help her.

Suddenly she felt her fingers twitch. 

A small spark of hope kindled within her. Was that her? Could she maybe… move again? She tried to move her fingers once more but they wouldn’t respond. Why?! 

“ _Oh I see…”_

That same voice from before…? So… she didn’t imagine it?

“ _Oh no, unfortunately for you, I’m not a figment of your imagination my dear girl.”_ As this strange voice spoke to the brunette once again she felt her fingers twitch, followed by her arms moving and resting on the floor. Starting to push herself back up. But… that wasn’t her! She wasn’t controlling this? So then… who was?

 _“Oh come now, you aren’t that stupid are you? Why… I’m controlling your body now.”_ Kat could only gasp in shock at this information. That… can’t be true. This is insane! “ _Now now, don’t worry. You aren’t insane.”_ The voice spoke to her as if she was addressing a child, trying to ease their frightened worries. Only… this was only doing the reverse. Her mind was starting to gear into overdrive. 

“ _G-Get out!”_ She tried to speak with her mouth. It didn’t quite work but she knew she said something to the invader that wasn’t just thoughts. She felt her own face frown at her. It was quite an absurd feeling being able to feel everything but having no control over it. 

“ _Oh come now, you think I wanted this? Or meant for any of this to happen? I have no idea how I got here. I was just going to stay back and try and figure out how to escape this odd… body.”_ Kat decided to ignore that comment about her body, she had far too much on her plate to add more right now. “ _But it looks like right now I’m in control. I had no control over our body in the day, but right now I do. Hmm… interesting.”_ Interesting...interesting?!

There was nothing interesting about this! And… this was not our body! 

“ _Ah apologies. I only meant in that we are now sharing this body.”_ Once again Kat decided to try and speak to the intruder. 

“ _Just...j-just… give me back control of MY body!”_ Kat was stumbling over her words as she tried to speak with no mouth. “ _And stop reading my mind!”_

“ _I’m not meaning to… but you are shouting them at me I can’t help but hear.”_ Kat could only grit her teeth in response or… at least try to. 

“ _I’m not!”_ She mentally shouted once again. At this her body sighed out. 

“ _Ok tell you what, I’m going to clean up this mess and get us another drink, we are still thirsty after all. Besides wouldn’t want your parents to find this mess and think you collapsed again.”_ Kat was seething… and so confused. But right now some sort of anger at this intruder that held her hostage was better than panicking, so she held onto it. “ _I’m going to talk to you again when you calm down.”_

True to her word no matter what insult or question she threw at the intruder she didn’t speak again as she was cleaning the floor. Kat could only watch and feel her body move about the caravan. Spying a towel and drying the floor, picking up the glass and giving it a quick rinse before refilling it. Even placing a hand over her sore head where she had fallen. It did smart actually… hopefully it wouldn’t bruise. Did… she feel the pain too?

“ _Yes I share your pain.”_ Kat waited for more. “ _If I had known that was going to happen I would have been ready to catch us.”_ But with that she was silent once more. Kat didn’t know what to say anymore. She was a prisoner in her own body… and she was scared. 

She could only watch as her body moved back to her bed and sat down, taking a drink of the water. She felt her throat swallow, could feel the cool water in her mouth, running down her throat… but she could control none of it...

Kat felt her own heart beat normally, a steady rhythm… but she knew she was frantic. She was far from calm, it was as if her body was doing one thing while she on the inside did another. She really had… no control. Nothing would respond to her. She was trapped, nothing but a spectator, with this mysterious voice as her only communication. Yet right now… the voice wasn’t talking to her. This was maddening. Was this it?! Would she be a prisoner for the rest of her life?! No… no… calm down. She needed to calm down. Assess the situation. It’s ok. She needed to work this out. 

She managed to finally stop the tumultuous storm that was her thoughts from raging out of control, wrestling control of her own psyche. There was one thing she could do, she could try just simply talking to the voice who currently had control of her body. 

However before she had a chance to say another word she heard the door open and both of her parents entered! She felt her body jerk up to view the pair of them. Her body bearing a blank expression as she stared at them… 

“Oh Kat! Surprised to see you still up, good thing though…” Her father started, totally unaware that he was no longer actually addressing his daughter. 

“...we brought you some leftovers in case you were hungry.” It was then that Kat spied the plate of various cooked meat and pastries that was held by her mother… which was quickly dropped on her lap. Her body jumped in surprise. Guess her intruder wasn’t used to her parents yet. 

“...Th-thank you.” Her body spoke. Kat guessed her intruder was just keeping up appearances. 

Her parents busied themselves with locking up and chatting to each other… but Kat quickly lost sight of them. No matter how much she wanted to yell out, she couldn’t… and ended up simply just… watching. Her eyes dropped to the plate before her, her body seemed to be examining the food in great detail. What on earth was happening now…? After a few seconds of her body holding a sausage roll, turning it over, sniffing it, examining it a bit too closely, watching a flake of pastry drop off to the waiting plate underneath. Kat grew impatient with whatever was happening.

“ _It’s not gonna bite… eat the damn thing…_ ” She was actually feeling hungry with the food right before her, but without a way to order her body to eat it she was becoming irritated enough to prod at her intruder. 

_“Yes… of course. This is just… not what I would normally call food.”_ That garnered a raised eyebrow from Kat. Well… sort of. What did the voice mean by that? 

_“What do you mean by that?”_

But the voice didn’t respond and instead tucked into the food, the food was cold but it was the first thing she had eaten all day. So Kat was grateful… at least to her parents for bringing it. 

In fact Kat didn’t realise just how hungry she was when her intruder began eating, she was starving… between the whole day at the hospital and her panic at no longer being in control of her own body… she had been a little distracted. 

“Ok champ, we are going to bed.” That was her father. Her body’s eyes flicked back up to see both of her parents stood just outside her room. 

“Are you sure you are ok?” Her mother’s voice joined his as the pair looked on with concern in their eyes. For a second the intruder didn’t reply… Kat felt desperate to shout to them. She is here! Right here! Please help! But her mouth didn’t move, her body couldn’t communicate without her being in control… this was a nightmare!

“Yes… fine thank you” Kat felt her face twist into a smile. It was slow… hesitant. But her parents didn’t notice… or didn’t say anything about the hesitation if they noticed. 

“Ok kiddo… We’ll see you in the morning.” Her father finished and turned away, with a smile and a wave her mother quickly followed suit. That was it, they were gone. And she was left with nothing but her and her intruder… still eating the cold food. Slowly and examining the food as if it was all new to her. Just what… was going on?

Kat tried to gather her wits. This was no time to panic. That wouldn’t help. She had to work out just what was going on, why this was happening. If she could concentrate on the issue at hand, if she could investigate just what this whole thing was… maybe, she could find a way to solve it. 

“ _Are you going to talk to me yet_?” She started. Poking her intruder mentally to reply.

“ _Have you calmed down yet?_ ” Was her immediate response… once again making Kat feel like she was some sort of child. She resisted the urge to snap back. 

“ _I’m about as calm I can be when I’m a prisoner in my own body._ ” Which was pretty truthful if a snarky reply. 

“ _Understandable_.” What was with these responses? She couldn’t work her intruder out. 

“ _Are you going to give me back my body?_ ” Kat couldn’t help the aggressive bite in her voice, even as she tried to stay calm. 

“ _I would if I could. I do not enjoy having to pretend to be you._ ” 

Well… she didn’t expect that. 

“ _You… you can’t?_ ” 

“ _No…_ ” If what her intruder was saying was true… she felt her hostility weaken slightly. She was still afraid but maybe not quite as angry. Kat wasn’t too sure about how much trust she should place in this voice but it didn’t seem to add up. A layer of confusion now encased her previous feelings, she didn’t quite know what to think.

Her body finally finished eating the food and placed her paper plate down on a nearby surface. 

“ _Ok… well… can you answer some questions?_ ” 

“ _Perhaps…_ ” Urgh… there’s that attitude again. It made Kat twitch her lip but she swallowed mentally and ignored it. 

“ _Can you tell me who...what you are?_ ”

There was a long pause… Kat began to wonder if her intruder was going to respond or if she should say something. Or... was she being ignored? 

“ _My name is Lilith._ ” Kat was glad at least her intruder now had a name… this was starting to feel weird, as if she should be still irate and scared that she had no control. Now she just felt very unsure and confused. She hoped that this Lilith was telling the truth and really had no desire to be here. 

_“What are you?”_

_“Hmm… I’m feeling tired… odd.”_ Is she trying to change the subject? 

_“Not want to tell me?_ ” Kat pushed. 

“ _Not yet._ ” She was not a child. Lilth needed to stop this. She wasn’t sure if Lilith heard her thoughts like before…

“ _I’m not a child._ ” She reinforced her thoughts. 

“ _That isn’t why._ ” Lilith shut her down. “ _I feel like lying down…_ ” Kat only felt wide awake in her worry and stress. She thought that Lilith was purposely dodging her questioning. So much for her perhaps.

Kat felt her body move, Lilith as she was now going to call her, began to pull off her clothes, being careful with the wounds on her hands. Kat wasn’t sure if she should feel mortified that her intruder was going to see her naked. But Lilith carried on regardless. Kat gritted her teeth… 

“ _Stop ignoring me! And… stop undressing me!_ ” Kat shouted at Lilith. She burst out her rage and indignity and flung them at her intruder. She didn’t want her to see her naked! 

To her slight surprise Lilith stopped what she was doing, she was mid-way through pulling her t-shirt off when she stopped dead and just let her hands drop. 

_“I just want to lie down… this body… your body feels really tired. I don’t know what else to do right now.”_ Kat wasn’t in the mood anymore to listen to her. She was sick and tired. She was so confused and scared. What if she never got her body back? What if she had to be a passenger in her own body for the rest of her life?!

 _“Just… stop it! I don’t understand and I’m sick of your lack of answers! Just… gah… I don’t know...“_ Kat was losing steam after her initial outburst… she was so lost. _“Tell me what you are… please…”_ She hoped that Lilith couldn’t tell how scared she was. She felt like a child, shaking and frightened. 

Lilith controlling her body sighed out and actually moved her arms around herself… was she just holding her arms close to her or trying to give her some sort of hug? Her latter thoughts were actually somewhat confirmed when her body began to stroke her arms. Yet all it did was freak her out more… she didn’t like it. She just wanted her out!

 _“Believe me when I say that I do not wish to stay in your body. This feels so odd and alien to me too. I want to look for a way to fix this as soon as possible.”_ Kat didn’t feel like saying anything anymore… so she just listened. _“For now I don’t wish to tell you anymore then my name. If I can just find a way out of you soon, it will be for the better.”_ Kat still didn’t say anything. She didn’t want to talk anymore…

 _“I’m just going to take the outer layers off ok?”_ Lilith seemed to be trying to play nice… but Kat felt a bit numb… she curled up into a ball mentally. She didn’t know what to do… she was in a cage within her own mind. A box of glass walls that she could see and hear from… but still a cage in every sense. Just… what was she going to do?

Lilith true to her word removed her t-shirt and trousers but left her underwear on. She placed them neat and folded by the bed… before crawling into her own bed. The clean sheets should have calmed her down, made her feel safe and warm. Knowing her parents were so close by if anything happened… but here in this prison? She didn’t feel safe… she felt cold. She shuddered even as Lilith closed her eyes… Kat was blind. She relied on Lilith to interact at all with the world… and she hated it. Her intruder seemed to be wanting to settle down and actually sleep… but… how could Kat? She still didn’t know who this Lilith was… no matter what her so called intentions were… why was she here? What did she want? Did she want to get out? Or is she just lying to her? That thought sent a dark cold shudder ripping through her… she can’t think like that. She has to hope she is telling the truth... she has to… what choice did she have right now? 

Kat sighed out mentally… if she was a prisoner like this at least she could still shout at her captor and make her life as hard as possible… she tried to laugh… or smile… she only managed a very faint twitch of her lip. She suddenly just thought, before Lilith seemed to react to her thoughts… could she still hear them now?

But if she could she did not receive any answer. Hopefully not then… 

She heard nothing but silence, could see nothing but darkness… and felt the steady breathing and the rise and fall of her own chest...


End file.
